Blog Post #14: My first day of work

I woke up the first night absolutely drenched in sweat.  I had yet become accustomed to the heat and soon realized that basically sleeping entirely naked was the only option (lol).

I got dressed and headed out to the dinning area for breakfast.

At the guest house where we eat

  I slammed back some noodles and headed for work.  The way I would be getting to work would be via moto--like I explained earlier.  The first couple times on the back of it, weaving in and out of traffic I found myself clenching the back of my seat as if I was holding on for dear life--well, in most ways I was (lol).  After a couple weeks though, I found that my anxiety had been alleviated and I had quickly become accustomed to the Cambodian way.  Driving in the wrong direction into oncoming traffic no longer surprised me but it was rather expected.  It would take me about 15 minutes to get to work in the morning--arriving most days at around 8:30.  The driver (whose name was Gian) would drop me off and I would give him 4000 Riel--1US dollar.  He would be my driver most days which was nice because he knew exactly where I was going which made my mornings quite stress free.  There would be days though that I would have to get a random moto driver to drive me home and those times were frustrating.  I would explain the directions with a map AND in khmer (the local language) and some of them still wouldn't have an idea. A lot of them don't understand maps nor do they know the street names.  Therefore, you have to pick out familiar landmarks and then try to navigate your way home from those yelling directions in their ear as you bounce around on the back of the moto (lol).  There were a couple times in the beginning where I found myself lost for 2 hours or more.  I didn't know exactly where I was going and neither did the moto driver.  There are so many little stores and all the streets look exactly the same and in the beginning it is hard to pick out a specific land mark.  So, without this landmark it is basically the blind leading the blind (lol).  These times were interesting though as I would have feelings of adventure, frustration, fear, excitement, etc....my feelings were basically on overload during these moments. However, back to my work day. 

Gian--my moto driver

On my first day I sat down with the director of the organization that I would be volunteering with--her name was Panha.  The office was located on the third floor of a four story building.  The entire building was enclosed by a big steal fence and I would have to bang on it to get in.  The door man--at least I am assuming he was the door man--would open up the door and great me with "Chum reap suor /chumree-uhp soo-uh/" which is hello in Khmer.  I would then take off my sandals because shoes aren't allowed inside. I got to the 3rd floor where they were located along with 2 little offices and a main conference type room.  Panha was in one room and two other works in the other whom were responsible for the financial operations of the organization.  The rest of the employees were located in Siem Reap and Battambang--two other cities in Cambodia.  Siem Reap had 14 employees and Battambang about 10 or so.  These were the people whom were responsible for going out to the villages and implementing the projects in the agreed upon locations.  I would eventually spend some time out in the villages and see the projects but more on that later. 

I introduced myself and then sat down with Panha for some orientation.  She explained to me how the organization was structured and how they functioned and I quickly found myself bombarded with information and requested some time to look over some of the material that she had presented to me: yearly reviews, annual reports, donor list,etc.  At this point I was still unsure as to what I would be doing exactly because my original placement had fallen through.  I was suppose to be working with an environmental organization dealing with energy issues in the region but upon arrival, was informed that my placement had changed.  I was now with an organization that focused in human rights and community development.  I was originally disappointed but quickly came to realize that the experience would still be interesting and if this organization needed help then I was willing to offer my services in any way that I could.  That was the problem though--they needed help but they weren't entirely sure in what aspect.  The only thing they knew is that they needed help with editing their proposals that they would submit to donors requesting funding for their operations.

My work area

As I read through the material I quickly came to realize that there should be some sort of volunteer package that I should be given upon arrival.  There was a volunteer whom had worked at the organization previously to myself but there was no information about the work they had been doing, how long they stayed there, their experience, their recommendations..nothing!  So, what I came to realize was my first project;  I would document all the work I did while at the organization and learn exactly how the NGO working in community development functions.  Where do they get funding? How do they gain credibility? Who is the organization made up of? What areas are their main focus? What areas do they want to get involved in? How do they push new projects and how do they decide what projects to implement and where? I had lots of these questions and basically only one person to answer them--Panha.  Her English wasn't great but it was sufficient in answering my questions--although it did require some work.  The problem here though is that I would have all these questions and instead of helping out with the organization I was spending time, and basically using resources, in trying to learn how it functions.  If this were the process each time a new volunteer started at an organization they would basically be doing more harm than good--if they weren't staying long term that is.  So, what I proposed is that I would work on this introductory report and then when the next volunteer started Panha wouldn't have to sit down and answer the same questions that the previous volunteer asked.  Instead, the volunteer could read this introductory package answering most of the questions that they would have.  After going through the package, they would then have a good understanding of the organization and a better idea as to where their services could be of use in the time frame that they had decided upon.  She agreed that it was a good idea and I got started reading and learning the structure of the organization while documenting it on my computer.  On top of this, the first thing I would be helping Panha with personally, would be proposal writing.  We would seek out potential donors and write proposals and submit them requesting donor money.  A lot of the donors would be charities from Europe and Australia.  Basically, they collect the money and then we request some of it describing what our organization does.  Then the charity decides if our operations and projects align with their charities target area.  If so, and they feel that our organization possesses credibility, then they provide funding.

So the first day I had recognized a weakness in the organization in terms of utilizing volunteers and I had suggested a solution.  First project--commence!

Here is my first photo album from Cambodia.  It is a public photo album on facebook showing what it is like in Phnom Penh.  Most pictures have comments and will supplement my blog post in understanding life there
Phnom Penh, Cambodia-Part 1 pictures

Looking out from the balcony at work

Blog Post #13: Orientation, Scams and Tricks--Lessons Learned

The next day I went to orientation with some of the other volunteers whom were also starting the same week as me.  In total, there were about 10 of us.  First we were taken to the Star Kampuchea office (placement program) and given a quick summary on what is considered to be rude, polite and customary.

-          - Don’t touch elders on the shoulder—it is considered disrespectful 

-          - If you are offered food it is polite to accept and finish it all 

-          - People wear white to funerals not weddings 

-          - Tuk-tuks are taxi cabs with a carriage and you can basically use this to go anywhere in the city—price is   usually around 3-5 US dollars which depends where you want to go

-          - Mo-tos are basically mopeds and you can get anywhere on the city by riding on the back of one—price is about 50cents-2dollars 

-          - Cambodians eat spiders, rats, snake, rice, pig, chicken, fish, noodles, bugs, cockroaches, etc 

-          - Street food is usually more fresh than food you will find in a restaurant because the turnover rate is higher, which results in the food not sitting around as much 

-          - You shouldn’t wave to older people, but you can wave to children 

-          - Don’t drink the tap water—this should be obvious (lol)

-          - Etc

Afterwards, we would have our first Khmer language lesson with Brem.   After this, we were taken to the Russian Market.  

Fruit stand at the Russian market

Local cuisine in the Russian Market

Some stands outside the Russian Market

Inside the Russian Market.  You can get an idea here about the claustrophobic feeling.

The Russian Market is basically a place where you can buy anything and everything—basically the Cambodian Walmart (lol).   The first time I went to the Russian Market was a little overwhelming with the people and how close everything was.  After awhile though, I got quite used to it; still didn’t enjoy going there that much since I felt so claustrophobic while there and I was trying to be careful in spending money (lol).  It is hard to go into the market and not buy something since everything is so cheap relative to the more developed world.  I ended up buying an authentic North Face backpack for 12US dollars.  I learned later that I over paid by about 5US dollars, but that is acceptable since it was still a great deal.  There were North Face travel bags (similar to the one I am using on my trip) for 15US dollars.  You can tell when something is authentic and when it isn’t and these bags were legit (hahahah golf clubs).  The same bag would have cost around 180US dollars back in Canada—quite the deal indeed.  

After the Russian market we were taken to the riverside which is sort of the tourist area.  Here we found restaurants orientated towards tourists and a nice view of the river. There were numerous Cambodian people—usually kids or war victims—trying to sell you pirated books and movies.  The books were photocopies of the original and sold for about 1US dollar.  It is advised not to buy books or give children money because then you encourage them not to attend school but rather beg for money and sell services to tourists.  If you don’t encourage this behaviour then they will be more likely to attend school and get an education.  A common theme amongst parents is to give their younger children (from 8-14) their baby and send them to the streets to beg for money.  This act makes tourists more sympathetic, as you can probably imagine.  During orientation we were told that we can give food to these poverty stricken people—fair enough.  However, some of the locals are aware of this and will take advantage of it.   There was one ploy that one of the volunteers was victim of.  There was an 8year old girl with a 1year old baby and she came up to the one of the volunteers and told them that she needed milk for the baby—hmmm seems harmless enough.  So the volunteer went into the store next door and the girl and baby followed.  The volunteer picked out some milk and the girl said “no, the other one.”  Abiding to the little girls wishes the volunteer purchased the milk. We found out afterwards that  once the little girl received it, she would then take the milk back to the store and return it for the original price—which was obviously NOT what the volunteer bought it at.  The milk was purchased at almost 3 times its real price and the seller of the milk would profit some money along with the little girl.  So it was basically a systematic scam—lesson learned.  

We all enjoyed a drink on a patio while we engaged in conversation and enjoyed the HOT WINTER day (lol).  November and December are basically the cooler seasons in Cambodia and some people call them the winter months.  However, it is still very hot reaching humid temperatures in the 30’s.  Actually this right here reminds me of something.  The way the working day functions in Cambodia is people work from 8ish to 12ish, and then they work from 2ish till 5ish.  They get a 2 hour break because it is so hot at this time of the day and they expect people to seek shade.  

The next day we all would start our first day of work and get our first taste of the inner workings of the Cambodian way. 

Blog Post #12: My first taste of Cambodia--checking in

I landed in Phnom Penh, Cambodia around 7pm so it was quite dark.  Something that I quickly learned was that I was in Cambodia at the time of year when it gets dark around 5pm.  I hate arriving in new countries/cities in the dark—as you can imagine.  One thing that would make the process more smoothly though is that a worker from Star Kampuchea (the volunteer placement organization) would be meeting me at the airport to take me to my accommodation.

 I left the airport and right away I am approached by local people like a swarm of bees.  They start saying “Tuk-Tuk, cell phone, cab, where you want to go, where are you staying.... AHHHHHH” It isn’t just one person either it is about 10-15 of them all competing for your attention and hoping that you will select them for one of the aforementioned services.  From my orientation package I remember to just smile and politely refuse—so I do just that.  I inform them that I already have a ride and as I tell them I think to myself, “I wonder how many of them understand what I am saying.”  A couple of them eventually leave me alone as I ignore them but a select few continue to follow me around. 

I look around for my name since the person from the program is supposed to have a sign with my name on it.  I don’t see it anywhere and come to the conclusion that they must be running late.  I stand around waiting and start to grow impatient with the constant swarm of people trying to get me to buy their services.  I continue to refuse and finally agree to pay a man 2000 Riel (50 cents CD) to use his cell phone.  I call the information number on my orientation package to which no one responds.  At this point I am getting a little nervous since I don’t know where my guest house is, don’ know any Khmer (Cambodian language), no one seems to speak English, it is dark and the locals are watching me so diligently to see what my next move is.  I think over the situation and elect to wait another 15 minutes and if there still isn’t anyone there to pick me up I will consult my guidebook and look for a place to stay.   

After about another 10 minutes a guy named Brem emerges out of the crowd of people with a smile on his face.  He knows my name, the place I am going and looks like a nice trustworthy guy.  So I get into the cab with him and we are off to the guest house where I will be living for the next 7-8 weeks. 

As it turns out, he is a local Cambodian whom is 21 years old and is also a volunteer.  He has been volunteering with a local organization in Phnom Penh known as Star Kampuchea (the organization in charge of placing international volunteers in other organizations) for the last year of so.  His English is good enough for us to converse and I ask him a few questions and then we both become silent—I am too overwhelmed to engage in conversation now.  I peer out the window and feel as though I am reborn into a new oh so different world to which I am so much more familiar with. 

On the way from the airport to the guest house I notice how hectic the traffic is.  Basically, it is every man for himself.  For instance, in Canada when you want to turn left you have to wait for a place where you can turn across the oncoming traffic.  Basically, you have to wait until the road is clear and then you will make your turn.  Well, in Cambodia since traffic is nuts and they have an insufficient supply of traffic lights, the rules are different.  You can’t simply wait for the oncoming traffic to come to a halt to make your turn, but basically you have to be aggressive and just wedge yourself out into the middle of the street and make people stop for you—it is quite the experience the first time.  My first experience with it was in the back of a car and it would be the last.  The rest of the time I spent in Cambodia I would no longer find myself in the confines of a car, but rather on the back of a moped (Moto called in Cambodia).  So here you are, sitting on the back of a moped, wedging out into oncoming traffic, seconds, inches and a heart attack from accidents, your ears surrounded by the perpetual sound of a hand slamming on their horn, and you better get used to it or you will find yourself growing old waiting to make that left turn. 

It takes about 15 minutes for us to arrive at the guest house, known as Tattoo Guest house.  He drops me off and tells me that in the morning they will pick us up to go to orientation.  I thank him, check into my room and meet some of the other volunteers whom are also staying at the guest house.  For those of you wondering what a guest house is, well it is a house basically owned by a family that has a bunch of rooms.  This particular house was 4 levels with a patio on the roof where we could eat and hang out.  On the first floor is the kitchen where we can also order food.  With the accommodations I also get 3 free meals a day.  There is a menu where you can select food such as rice, fish, curry chicken, eggs, bread and jam, fruit salad, etc.  The people whom run the guest house are very welcoming and eventually after spending 7 weeks there, we would all develop into one big happy family—well, happy most of the time (lol).  

The lobby of the guest house where I stayed

My room.  I shared a room with another volunteer.

This is Jan.  He is one of the people who ran the guest house. 

This is where we would eat our meals that were free from the guest house.  Some of the other volunteers relaxing.  

I have also included a link below to my first Cambodia photo album on Facebook.  There are comments that go along with the photos to describe what you are seeing and give you a better idea of what Cambodia is like.  It is an open photo album on Facebook so you should be able to view it even if you aren't on my friends list.  

Phnom Penh, Cambodia - Part 1 

Blog Post #11: The stressed out flight into Cambodia

I flew out of Rome, Italy on October 30, 2010 and would be entering Bangkok, Thailand the following day—with time change.  Of course, with my perception of time things didn’t go as planned.  My plane would be departing at 11:20am and I didn’t leave my hotel until 9:45am--despite the fact that I had already missed a flight during my venture in Europe and apparently hadn’t learned from my mistake (lol).  The airport was 45minutes away via train, and I sprinted to the train station.  I found the corresponding  train and reached into my pocket to buy the 12Euro ticket only to realize that I was short 3 dollars—AHHHHH.  I looked up at the man with a look of dismay and necessity and said, “Do you think you could float me 3Euros? If I miss this train I will miss my flight.”

With a disgruntled look on his face he took out his wallet and shelled out the remaining balance.  I thanked him and hopped on the train nervous, sweating and basically thinking to myself, “was that extra 20 minutes of sleep really worth it?”  I think we all know the answer to that......or do we (lol).   

The train arrived to the airport at 10:45 and I was lucky that I had already been to Rome’s airport previously so I was somewhat familiar with the layout.  I took my bags and ran to check in—this is where shit really hit the fan.  I moved to the front of the line seeing that the clock read 11:05—25 minutes till take off.  I informed the poorly English speaking employee that my plane would be leaving in 25 minutes to which he responded, “no problem, we will expedite you through security to ensure that you reach your plane on time.” 

At this point, my heart beat slows and I think to myself, “I have made it!”  However, this assertion proved to be premature since the next words out of the man’s mouth were, “Umm, now I just need to see your proof of ongoing flight out of Thailand.” 

“OHH SHITTTT.”  What he meant by this is that he needed proof that I had a flight from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  Now I did but the problem was that I booked with Air Asia and they never sent me my itinerary.  In Europe I tried and I tried to email them, call them, enter online chat and all of this proved to be futile.  I couldn’t get the itinerary sent to me and I was just going on pure hope that I wouldn’t be asked for it upon check in;  as you now know, this wish feel short and here I was stuck, with no ongoing ticket and now 20 minutes till take off.  I am going to miss yet another flight on my travels to which the ticket is once again non-refundable—or am I?

At this point a kind gentleman whom worked at Sri Lanka airways accompanied me to Thai Airways and informed them of my predicament.  They acknowledged the quandary to which they responded, “It is going to cost you 250euros to buy a ticket right now from Bangkok to Phnom Penh.”  Now, this is very expensive since the ticket (whose itinerary I didn’t have) that I originally bought only cost me about 50euros.  I sighed and accepted the proposition seeing as that my options were limited and time wasn’t on my side.  However, at this point one of the employees from Sri Lanka came over and informed me that my flight had been delayed—some good news.

 

So now I am standing at the desk and feeling quite confident that I am going to make my flight out of Rome, Italy and into Bangkok, Thailand.  Ten minutes must have passed when I finally addressed the Thai Airways employee and asked him how much longer it would be.  I knew my plane was delayed but I hadn’t been informed by how much so although some of my anxiety and stress had been alleviated, it still remained to be quite prominent.  Upon addressing him, he glanced up from his computer and basically said nothing—actually not basically, he did say nothing. 

Finally, after another 5 minutes he prints something off—which I can only assume is my ticket-- turns around to his co-worker and laughs—“what,” I ask?

“This is a fake ticket so you don’t have to pay anything.  Just show it to Sri Lanka airways and they will let you on the plane.”

Wow, what a relief.  I quickly snatch up the ticket before he changes his mind and race to the desk to check in.  I get there and everything goes smoothly.  I go to security sneak under the velvet rope to the start of the line and get through security and to my gate at 11:35.  I am then informed that my plane is delayed an hour—go figure (lol.  At this point I bum around the airport, and purchase some ridiculously overpriced Italian pizza and wait for my flight.